Should NFL players be fired for 'taking a knee' during anthem?

Story TOpics

The singing former soldier whose battle injury claims were questioned sang his last song on “America’s Got Talent.”

Timothy Michael Poe crooned George Strait’s “The Chair” before he was cut from the NBC talent competition on Tuesday’s Las Vegas-set installment.

The 35-year-old country singer appeared earlier this month on “America’s Got Talent” and said he was injured by a grenade in Afghanistan in 2009, but Minnesota National Guard records didn’t support his story.

“I don’t know that he holds up to other singers on this show at all,” said judge Howie Mandel while evaluating Mr. Poe.

Tuesday’s episode of “America’s Got Talent” was taped last month before his injury claims were scrutinized.

Mr. Poe won over the crowd and celebrity judges during his initial “America’s Got Talent” audition that aired earlier this month with a moving story about how he blocked a grenade blast to save his buddies. The National Guard said records show Mr. Poe wasn’t injured in combat in Afghanistan, and he has been criticized since he made his injury claims on the show.

Mr. Poe, who now lives in Texas, later told WFAA-TV in Dallas that he believed he was telling the truth but doesn’t know what is real. He also provided a photo to “America’s Got Talent” of a soldier that he passed off as himself. Mr. Poe’s fiancee, Carrie Morris, said he accidentally submitted the photo of Staff Sgt. Norman Bone in Afghanistan in 2006 because he was rushed.

Denise Richards and her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen, have come so far that it’s almost hard to believe they were once in such a vicious divorce battle that she filed a restraining order against him and claimed he threatened her.

Now, the exes are friends and even co-stars. Ms. Richards appears on an upcoming episode of Mr. Sheen’s new FX sitcom “Anger Management,” which premieres Thursday. She said it was his idea for her to do the show.

“It’s actually great working with him,” Ms. Richards said in a recent Associated Press interview. “I like working with Charlie. We met working together and we worked together when we were married, and this is the first thing we’ve worked on since our divorce. But I’m very excited for his show and I think it’s very funny, and I was, you know, honored that they wanted me to be a part of it.”

Mr. Sheen and Ms. Richards even recently told Rolling Stone magazine that they’re “like best friends now” and he tells her everything. He even said in the magazine that he’d still like to have sex with her.

“I would rather him say that then say some other things,” Ms. Richards said, laughing.

They might be buddies now, but Ms. Richards is cautious to add that things aren’t always smooth sailing between the two.

“We’ve been in, I would say, a good place for quite some time. … You know it’s up and down, too. I take it day by day.”

The two divorced in 2006. They have two young daughters together, Sam and Lola.

Besides “Anger Management,” Ms. Richards also has a role in the new Tyler Perry movie called “Madea’s Witness Protection,” which opens Friday. She said she got a kick out of seeing Mr. Perry transform into his alter egos Madea and Uncle Joe.

“It’s funny to see [Mr. Perry] as Madea,” Ms. Richards said. “He’s this hunky, gorgeous leading man. … I don’t know how Madea and Uncle Joe comes out of that.”

Comic-Con panel to mark anniversary of Whedon’s ‘Firefly’

It’s official: “Firefly” is heading to Comic-Con.

The short-lived cult hit from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon will make its debut at the San Diego convention with a special 10-year anniversary panel.

Mr. Whedon and writer Tim Minear will join stars Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Michael Fairman and the rest of the crew of the Serenity for a panel on July 13.

The series is part of the Comic-Con slate from first-time attendee Science Channel, which began airing repeats of the Fox space Western last year, where it has continued to draw an audience of loyal fans and attract new fans during its run.

In addition to the panel discussion, the hourlong session also will feature never-before-seen footage along with what Science is billing as “numerous buzz-worthy surprises.”

Science Channel also will host a second July 13 panel with “Fringe’s” John Noble joining the creators of “Dark Matters: Twisted But True” for a session previewing the show’s upcoming second season, which bows July 14. (Science will launch syndicated repeats of “Fringe” on Nov. 20.)

Lastly, the popular Science podcast and upcoming series “How Stuff Works” will hold court on July 12 with hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant. They will be joined by celebrity guests for an exclusive preview of the series, which launches in January.

“As a network, Science has one foot in the planetarium and the other in Comic-Con. This venue is the mecca for creativity and inspiration that can spark a great work of art or the next scientific breakthrough,” Science GM and Executive Vice President Debbie Adler Myers said. “From Joss, Nathan and our amazing ‘Firefly’ panel, to John Noble and ‘Dark Matters,’ to Josh and Chuck; our panels reflect the programming on Science — totally diverse but all whip-smart, hugely entertaining, lean-forward television.”